Drug war: Philippines mayor among 10 killed

The 10 men succumbed to their wounds on the way to hospital, police said, having opened fire on officers who tried to stop their two vehicles at a checkpoint in Duterte’s troubled home province of Mindanao before dawn. “It was a legitimate police operation,” said Bernard Tayong of the North Cotabato police office, adding that no officers were hurt but a police vehicle was riddled with bullets. “We have information the mayor and his men were transporting drugs so we tried to intercept them but they chose to shoot it out,” he told reporters. 

The killing of Samsudin Dimaukom, a powerful mayor, took place far from his predominantly Muslim town of Datu Saudi Ampatuan. It came as police shift tactics in the controversial war on drugs by focusing on politicians, government officials, celebrities and high-ranking army and police suspected of involvement in the trade. Duterte won a May election on the promises of killing criminals and campaigned under the logo of a clenched fist. 

Duterte returned from a visit to Japan late on Thursday and during a news conference waved a thick book he said contained names of officials suspected of drug links. The book contains about 3,000 names. “I do not want to make this public because it will just make the Filipino cry,” he said. Of those killed in the anti-drugs campaign, more than 1,600 died during police operations, a toll that has drawn international concern about extrajudicial killings.

SHIFTING FOCUS 

Duterte has fiercely defended the campaign and has repeatedly lashed out at his critics. A recent poll showed public unease over the crackdown, with 94 per cent of respondents saying it was important that police take suspects alive. Police investigators said seven guns, including an Armalite rifle and 13 small packs of suspected methamphetamines were recovered from the mayor’s vehicle after Friday’s firefight. The mayor’s wife, who is also the town’s vice mayor, is also on Duterte’s wanted list. National police spokesman Dionardo Carlos, said, “New targets were transport networks, show business circles, nightclubs and wealthier neighbourhoods to root out drugs like cocaine and ecstasy. Carlos denied there was a deliberate sanctioning of extrajudicial killings.”